Now you can’t make out those looks. It’s been this way for over thirty years. Since they tried to torture him to find my father.
That was when wars amongst the families were ruthless and had no rules. The things my uncle did after getting free aren’t even spoken of.
Although his face doesn’t reveal who he is, I see Gio in him. My son will set an example the same way.
“Come, have dinner with your uncle. How is my good friend Giuseppe?”
“He is well.”
CHAPTER 44
Made Men
Gio
Finally, I have a lead on something that will actually open the books. To be honest, I’ve done enough already. My name rings bells all the way in Italy.
Even with a stigma over my head not many will test me. It’s starting to become dangerous for me not to be made. I’m a threat and with no protection it’s only a matter of time before someone gains the balls to try me.
Which is why I stay away from Ny and Jace is always with me. This has been my worse nightmare. It’s not so much that I can’t go to see Nyla. It’s that she won’t keep her harder-headed ass away from me.
She shows up at the Dollhouse in those blonde wigs with those gray contacts. As if that will keep attention off her. I can’t even explode when she walks in to send her ass back home.
“Where are you?” Dario asks, bringing me back to the car where we’re waiting.
“Thinking.”
“Yeah, well, this kind of needs your focus. Who are these guys again?”
“Some Irish crew. They’ve been moving in on a friend of ours. We’re going to shut them down.”
“What exactly are we waiting for?” Dante asks.
“They’re not all here,” Jace says.
“What’s your rush?” I turn to look into the back seat.
At twenty my brothers are a handful. They think they know it all and know nothing. If they did, Dante wouldn’t be dating that treacherous slut Bethany.
I saw her for what she was a few years ago. It’s why I had Nonno force Dante to go to college. In a few months, I’m going to plant the seed for him to send Dante and Dario on a trip to travel the world.
I hope he’ll meet someone else to open his nose or at least forget about Bethany. She sure hasn’t been thinking about Dante. The world isn’t that small.
I know it’s no coincidence she’s fucking our enemy’s spawn’s son. See, these two don’t know shit, but I’ll protect them while they make mistakes.
“I wanted to catch Bethany before she goes to bed,” he mutters.
I snort and straighten in my seat. “Let me ask you a question. Forget about her for a second. Tell me who you wish your perfect woman could be.”
“What?”
“Come on, humor me. Tell me your wish for the perfect woman.”
“I could answer that easy,” Dario says.
“Oh yeah? Then answer.”
“Carleen. She’s all I’ve ever wanted. I know it’s not possible because of this thing, but it would be her for me. Always has been.”
I grunt and nod. I sort of already knew that. I can’t blame him. Carleen has become a gorgeous young woman. I’ve caught the way he looks at her.
“I don’t know,” Dante says in almost a whisper. “She should be gorgeous, not fake but real beauty. I love curves so she doesn’t have to be some skinny woman.”
I turn to look at him again. His eyes brighten and he becomes more animated. “Yeah, beautiful and graceful. I like them smart and if she can make me laugh that’s a plus. I want her to give me a son I can play ball with.
“And…and I want her to be able to handle me. You know, this side of me. The savage I have to be for this thing. She should match my savage. That’s not real though,” he says and turns to look out the window.
“Why not?”
“Because…I’m crazy. Something is broken in me. There isn’t a woman for that.”
I scoff because he’s just described almost perfectly the woman I’m in love with. “You’d be surprised. And Dante?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not crazy. I’ve done most of the shit you’ve done and more and I sleep just fine at night. She’s out there and I bet if you stop to think about it, you’d see Bethany is none of that. She’s not the one, bro.”
“Yeah,” he replies, bringing a frown to my face. His stubborn ass isn’t listening to me.
I go to dig in, but a car pulls up. The last two we’ve been waiting on have arrived.
“This is it,” Jace says.
“Andiamo. In and out. We’re not carving anyone up tonight. One to the head, two to the chest.”
CHAPTER 45
The Call
Gio
Jordan Sparks “No Air” plays as I sip at my drink, then place my cigar back in my mouth. Jace sits beside me with his own drink as his gaze remains on Ny. She’s dancing around the living room with a smile on her face.